Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Message of Obadiah – Justice will be Done

Obadiah 15,21 “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; … the kingdom will be the LORD’s”

It is 40 days since Easter. Jesus, in bodily form, ascended up into heaven in front of his disciples on this Thursday (Acts 1). He ascended to be with the Father and now reigns from on high (e.g. see 1 Peter 3v22). He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and is going to return one day as Lord and Judge.

Obadiah’s book is one of the shortest with just one chapter. It is most likely that Obadiah was writing around 600BC when Babylon made a series of attacks on Jerusalem. In this period there was:

• Intense suffering for God’s people
• Internal political upheaval,
• International political changes with rising powers and threats
• Others taking advantage of the difficulty they were in.

Obadiah criticises the neighbouring and sibling nation of Edom (descended from Isaac) because they are gloating over Judah’s difficulties. But he refocuses the people on a greater day to come. It is a day when the LORD will come and bring rewards to all in consideration of what they have done. Justice will be established and so will peace under the new king. With our New Testament understanding, we can see that Obadiah was pointing towards both the cross of Christ where God’s justice would be unfurled, and also towards his second coming.

Let’s lift our eyes above the issues around us and fix them on Christ Jesus. We can then see present troubles in a very different perspective.

With love and blessing,

Roland